Our Story

Over 30 years ago, the Scharfs planted the very first grapes in their family vineyard in picturesque Dry Creek Valley, California, just North of Sonoma. From its humble beginnings, the vineyard has continuously produced high quality grapes, produced in small quantities and cared for greatly.

Years later, three Los Angeles families - The Scharf, Loui, and Akens families, came together over a love of wine, food, and family. Through our wine, we’ve been able to cross generations, share memories, and spend a lot more time in Sonoma.

Our flagship Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from the same family vineyard, while our Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Pinot grapes are from our neighbor families in Dry Creek and the Russian River areas. Over time, we’ve been fortunate enough to grow our extended family to wine makers and farmers in the local area at Kokomo and Alexander Valley Vineyards.

This year, we are happy to announce our first wines: a 2011 CardinalRule Cabernet and our 2013 CardinalRule Rosé.

Our CardinalRule has always been: “Drink what you love, love what you drink.”